


The Wife Prequel: What About Love?

by RoroYaoi



Series: The Séance Couples [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Boys In Love, Child Abandonment, Cousin Incest, Cousins, Dave is a Good friends, David "Dave" Katz Lives, David "Dave" Katz is a veterant, F/F, F/M, Five is not good with his emotions, Gen, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, M/M, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy-centric, Panic Attacks, Pseudo-Incest, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenage Dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28210749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoroYaoi/pseuds/RoroYaoi
Summary: Chapter 5:Being friends sound great"I want to apologize" Five admits looking at Klaus' face.Klaus blinks several times before turning his head to look at him "What?" he asks somewhat surprised."I" Five pauses, he has no idea how to explain to Klaus his situation, he has never had to apologize to anyone, he is too proud for that. But Klaus needs to hear it "I'm sorry about what happened," he says quietly " The things shouldn't have happened that way, I shouldn't have left like that..."Klaus smiles in an almost peaceful way, but Five is not an idiot, he can see Klaus' eyes become brighter as if he is about to cry"I think" Klaus interrupts him, "I think you shouldn't apologize" Five sees how Klaus swallows saliva "Okay, maybe you leaving without saying goodbye was a bit painful, I'll admit that" Klaus laughs, trying to lighten the situation "But I think in the end it was a good thing".
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Eudora Patch, Dolores & Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Klaus Hargreeves & David "Dave" Katz, Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone, Number Five | The Boy & Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Grace Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Everyone, Number Five | The Boy/Klaus Hargreeves
Series: The Séance Couples [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056068
Comments: 32
Kudos: 50





	1. Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sideeffectsofwriting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sideeffectsofwriting/gifts).



* * *

"You're an asshole" there is some anger in the words of the brunette, but he can't help it.

"You should be grateful" he responds stoically, driving through the streets with care, being a Hargreeves has its advantages because at only 15 years old he can drive his own car

"Grateful?" there's a certain incredulity. "Five, you broke his nose."

" He was touching your ass."

"What's the problem with that?"

Five slams on the brakes and if Klaus hadn't had to put the seat belt on he would have hit the front console. He looks offended at the blue-eyed boy.

"You're going to be my future wife, you shouldn't flirt with other people" Klaus swallows dry because there is a certain sharp edge to Five's words.

He has been hearing those words since he was six years old. At first, they fill him with happiness, being the future wife of your best friend sounds wonderful. Five knows him better than anyone else and he knows Five better than anyone else. They've never needed anyone other than themselves or one of their siblings, but they've grown up, they go to school, and having friends is normal.

He wants to have more friends outside of his family circle. Luther has several friends from his astronomy club, Allison is the cheerleader, Diego is the captain of the basketball team and even his shy twin Vanya has several friends in the school orchestra. So why can't he?

Leonard had seemed like an extremely nice guy. Like the last ten boys who have approached him, and that Five has chased away.

"I'm going to be your future wife, but you never tell me anything"

"There is nothing to say, Klaus, don't be childish" protests the boy who drives

That's another thing that bothers him. Five assures and affirms that they are future spouses, the parents of both have engaged them, there is no problem despite being cousins because really none of them share blood. Five is Reginald's son, but Klaus is not A.J. or Lilian's son, he is her nephew, son of Lilian's younger sister, there is no blood bond.

Despite knowing this, Klaus wants more. He wants Five to tell him that he loves him, that he is with him because he chooses him, not out of duty. He does not want Five to be like his biological mother. She never told Vanya or him that she loved them, she was always clear in telling them that she had them as a mere obligation.

Memories of their traumatic childhood still haunt him. He will never forget that mausoleum in which his mother locked them up.

Is there anything wrong with wanting his " fiancé " to tell him I love you? He tells him all the time, but Five has never even kissed him. He's 14 years old, a year younger than Five, and he wants to start experiencing that kind of thing.

Is Five like his mother? He is afraid of the single idea

"We're here," reports Five, he gets out and turns around the car, but Klaus doesn't even wait for him to open the door.

"Five, please" begs, he shouldn't be begging for love, he knows, it's pathetic

"Klaus" breathes a tired sigh, they have had this discussion too many times "No" firmly denies "I've had enough of this"

"Maybe I do too" Five looks at him in surprise "Five, if you don't tell me something, then I don't want this engagement anymore"

Five laughs, it's pretty funny that Klaus says that nonsense "It's not like we can decide that Klaus, stop being childish"

"It's not childish to want to be loved" his chest is hurting. Five sounds like his biological mother.

"Klaus, love is for weak people," he declares slowly as if he were talking to a child.

He climbs in without even noticing that he leaves Klaus grieving. The brunette just watches the car disappear through the entrance of the mansion. He squeezes his bag tightly, he hasn't even been able to give Five his farewell gift.

Five is an idiot. He leaves in two days and they have a silly argument. He sighs resignedly, tomorrow he will give him the gift. After all, Five would never leave without saying goodbye to him.

* * *

Allison looks with some surprise at the valises, looks sideways at Luther, both have gathered to study for Monday's physics exam.

"Oh, Allison, it's so good to be home," says her mother.

"Mom"

The brunette just watches the car disappear through the entrance of the mansion. He squeezes his bag tightly, he hasn't even been able to give Five his farewell gift.

Five is an idiot. He leaves in two days and they have a silly argument. He sighs resignedly, tomorrow he will give him the gift. After all, Five would never leave without saying goodbye to him.

* * *

Allison looks with some surprise at the valises, looks sideways at Luther, both have gathered to study for Monday's physics exam.

"Oh, Allison, it's so good to be home," says her mother.

"Mom"

"We must accompany your brother to the airport"

"I thought Five would leave the day after tomorrow," says Luther, surprised

Grace denies with her head " He has decided to move up his flight, he wants to rest before starting his classes".

Allison nods her head, it makes sense, it just surprises her. It's a shame that Five will miss the farewell party she and Klaus have planned. Well, suppose the brunette is the first to know, after all, Five was always in charge of informing Klaus about everything.

"Dear Luther. Can you help us with the bags?"

"Of course, Aunt Grace," Luther accepts, happy to be of help.

Five descends the stairs, wearing quite elegant clothes, Allison turns her eyes, her brother is going to take a twelve-hour flight wearing a suit, a horror. But then, it wouldn't be Five if he was wearing something else.

"Klaus. Is he going to wait for us at the airport or do we go through it?" she asks when she sees her mother and Five getting into the limo

Five doesn't answer and that only manages to make her nervous, Luther frowns on her side. He doesn't like the indifferent look of his cousin. Allison sends a message to Klaus, when they arrive at the airport and don't see the brunette, she worries.

"Are you going to leave without saying goodbye?" Luther asks the question, Grace looks uncomfortable

"Yes, we fought."

"You know what you could cause in Klaus, right?"

"He'll be fine, Luther. He needs to learn to be less childish.

Luther seems to be willing to hit his brother, so Allison takes him by the arm and pushes him away a bit. She may not agree with her brother at all, but she won't let her boyfriend hit him either.

"Call him, tell him what's going on, don't waste time-fighting with him, you know how obstinate he is" she orders the blond. They don't have much time, Five must board the plane in 20 minutes.

* * *

He runs through the huge airport, looking for his brother, and the rest of his family. He feels his breath coming in and doesn't even bother to wipe his tears, he doesn't know if he is crying out of sadness, anger or because he feels betrayed.

Five wasn't supposed to leave until the day after tomorrow; it had to be Allison and Luther who told him that Five had moved up his trip.

Why? Why was his best friend leaving without even saying goodbye?

Yes, they had fought, a very stupid one, for even more stupid reasons, but that was not enough reason to leave without saying goodbye. Especially when he was leaving for more than a year.

"Klaus" cried Allison, he looked at her and found her in the company of his brother Luther and Grace

"Where is he?"

he tried to ask, but he had practically run from the parking lot into the terminal.

"Oh, Klaus, he's gone," said his Aunt Grace with some sorrow

No.

No.

No.

Five could not be so cruel. Not with him.

His best friend wouldn't do that to him.

Even if they argued and Klaus said he didn't want the engagement anymore, Five doesn't tend to be cruel. Arrogant and pompous perhaps, but never heartless.

Klaus takes his cell phone and dials Five's number. He rings and smiles hopefully at the sound of a voice, his smile freezing at the realization that it is the operator. He hangs up and tries again.

Again and again.

Again and again.

Again and again.

"Let's go home, Klaus," Luther says with pity.

Grace and Allison watch as Luther has to drag Klaus along, the brunette doesn't even react, he's kind of gone, lost in his own mind.

* * *

She arranges her long curly hair behind her ear, her husband looks at her in fascination and can't help but smile pleased. She likes her husband to look at her as if she were a precious jewel. She knows she is a beautiful and powerful woman, but her husband looking at her that way makes her feel loved.

She is usually a cold woman and her husband is cold too. Both have grown up in prosperity and with no other company than their servants and siblings, there is no one in the world who understands each other better than the two of them.

"You look beautiful Lilian" says her husband, smiling flirtatiously.

"If you keep praising me we won't leave this room, husband"

The desperate beatings in their room surprise them both.

"Passing" indicates by putting on her necklace, they are going out to dinner with Reginald and Grace

Vanya's head peeks through the barely open door, the 14-year-old looking paler than usual.

"Vanya" names her husband in surprise when he sees her in that state

"Klaus," says the extremely shy girl "Something is wrong with Klaus" suddenly let's go

At the mention of the youngest son of both, they get up and walk hurriedly to the room of the youngest twin.

"Klaus, darling" A.J. has always been sweeter than she is in these respects, the child looks at the ceiling, pays no attention to them. He has a blank stare.

For a moment Lilian wants to shake her son out of his own stupor, Klaus tends to be very dramatic at times, a behavior they have tried to take away with A.J. and the psychologists. But the woman closes her mouth when she sees the state of the room, no, not the whole room, but the little corner destined for Klaus' paintings. The painting that her son has been working on for the past few weeks is destroyed.

She approaches the bed, ready to discipline him. He is supposed to hand over that painting to be presented in an important gallery. Now that work is destroyed. But her son doesn't listen to any of her husband's words or Vanya's begging.

Klaus is staring at the roof, his green eyes are red from the tears he has shed and he has hurt his lips by tearing the skin off them. The last time her son looked like that he was only eight years old and it was after the twins' biological mother wanted to take them away.

It's not hard to recognize the panic attack when you see it. It just surprises her, because her son hasn't had one in years.

What could have happened to cause such an attack?

Luther's hand on her shoulder surprises her "Mom" respectfully calls her the 17-year-old "Five has left" reports in a solemn voice

She raises one of her eyebrows, yes, she knows that Five has left for a trade, Grace had been very excited and worried about that.

What's new and what's wrong?

Klaus was already aware of that, in fact, his brunette son had bought an expensive gift for his boyfriend.

"He left today. Without saying goodbye to Klaus," Ben finishes, the 16-year-old boy looks angry.

"Oh" is all she can say.

What else can she say when you know Her child is heartbroken?

* * *

He descends from the plane in a hurry, jet lag has made him sick and he still has to check-in at the boarding school. He waits patiently for his driver, outside there is a snowstorm, so he takes the opportunity to turn on his phone. Klaus' smiling image is the first thing he sees, he smiles gently.

Klaus is an idiot. He thinks with a certain resignation. He regrets having left early and without saying goodbye, but Klaus is to blame.

The brunette shouldn't have flirted with the idiot Leonard Peabody.

Not only because Leonard was obsessed with Klaus and therefore made him extremely dangerous, but because he was not even up to his family. The Hargreeves and the Carmichael belong to an exclusive elite. They own important corporations. They shouldn't be surrounding themselves with such little people.

It's not jealousy, he's just looking after his future wife.

Besides, it's not as if Klaus needs someone other than himself or one of his siblings. Their future was decided. It was from the moment he asked his aunt and uncle to allow him to take care of Klaus when Klaus was four years old.

At that time Klaus was not even Lilian or A.J's son, was just Lilian's nephew, but he had been totally enthralled by the green-eyed, feminine child.

Why did Klaus have to insist so much on his feelings? They didn't need feelings, they had each other and that was enough.

They were going to be together forever. Words like love and nonsense were out of place.

Klaus' sentimentalism was something totally vain. For him, actions were what mattered.

His actions spoke for him. He always looked after Klaus, accompanied him even when he was bored with visits to galleries or museums, and practically went out of his way to please his brunette. So why did he need to say I love you? That was absurd.

He noticed the missed calls from his brunette. Of course Klaus would look for him, but no, he wasn't going to return those calls. He wasn't going to regret bringing his trip forward and he wasn't going to feel bad about not saying goodbye.

This was just one more lesson for Klaus. His brunette needed to stop being so childish and this was a good possibility for them.

Later he would reward Klaus. Maybe they could go on vacation to Paris. Yes, no doubt when he returned home he would compensate Klaus. Now he had to concentrate on his studies.

The sooner he finished with them the sooner he would return home to his family and Klaus.

* * *

He meets Dolores in his first week, he has barely had time to put his things together, the classes are a little more complicated than the ones at his old school, but that doesn't surprise him, Umbrella Academy is an exclusive school for geniuses, he just didn't expect that the homework and the various projects in his new home would take up so much of his time

His mother has called him several times with concern, but he quickly reassures Grace.

He doesn't notice her while he''s talking on the phone and ends up bumping into Dolores in a hallway. That's how their friendship was born.

She calls him an idiot and he calls her clumsy. The teachers force them to work on a project together because of their constant insults, and they do it so well, that they agree to work together for the duration of their interchange.

Mentally he thanks his mother, because if Grace had not been punishing him for not calling Klaus, he would never have met Dolores.

The girl is a wonder among their classmates, no doubt she is someone brilliant and fun, and he finds himself spending more and more time with her without his realizing it.

The blonde seems to love spending time with him too. They enter into an easy, simple, and uncomplicated friendship. They both complement each other perfectly and tend to help each other.

Dolores is his first friend outside of his family.

He doesn't know whether to laugh or call Klaus and tell him that having other friends is okay.

To think that his fight with his brunette started because he was angry that Klaus wanted to have other friends.

As soon as he gets out of his technology project he is going to call his fiancé. It's been over a month and he's been ignoring everyone's calls and messages. He promises himself to be a little more gentle with Klaus.

He will never admit it, but he misses his brunette.

* * *

He dials Five's number, has not tried to call him since Grace kindly asked him to let Five settle into his new school. He doesn't want to intrude on Five's life, he misses him very much, but he has agreed that distance is good for both of them.

He doesn't want Vanya to worry about him again. He is supposed to be the older of the two and therefore has to protect his sister. The poor thing had been so distressed by her last panic attack.

But Allison has told him that Five has just won a prize at his student fair. He wants to congratulate him. It will only be a phone call and nothing more.

"Hello" for a moment he feels happy until he notices that it is a girl who answers "Hello" again

Look at his phone, it's Five's number but a girl has answered.

"Not funny, hello," she says again, this time indignantly.

He doesn't understand why there's a girl answering Five's number. Did Five change his number?

"Who's Dolores?" Oh, no, that's Five's voice

"A pervert" answers the girl

Klaus is, for a moment tempted to tell her that he is not a pervert, just someone very stupid.

Klaus hangs up in anger. He ignores his own tears and his heart beating painfully.

Five is right, he is a childish fool.

* * *

Slide the brush gently over the canvas, admiring how the colors gradually mix. He tries to pour his feelings over the paint, lately painting is the only thing that makes him happy.

He knows that his family is worried, and he hates every moment of it. He doesn't want to be a burden. So he spends every free time in different workshops. Perfecting his art.

His parents take him to the psychologist again, afraid that he will suffer new panic attacks. He hasn't had them again, but he also doesn't know how to feel comfortable with himself.

In his mind, he blames himself again and again for what happened to Five. Maybe if he hadn't insisted on something that Five obviously didn't feel, at least he'd still have his best friend.

Now he is uncomfortable even visiting Diego or Allison. Especially since Grace has asked him not to bother Five.

"It's nice" he turns to see the man talking to him

"Thank you"

"Although it seems a little sad"

Klaus turns to see his painting, it is quite neutral colors that he has chosen, he smiles a little when he notices that the man is right

"Yes, it looks like it, doesn't it?"

"A heart so young and so sad Should I be offered to beat someone?" he asks seriously, squares his shoulders and stands firm as a soldier

Klaus laughs because it is funny to imagine this man who has a face that only inspires goodness, wanting to hit someone

"No" denies funny "No need, thanks anyway ..."

"David Katz, but you can call me Dave"

"Well Dave, nice to meet you, I'm Klaus"

In Klaus' bag, his cell phone rings repeatedly, but Klaus is too busy listening to Dave's stories while he paints.

Strangely enough, Dave makes him feel happy.


	2. Let him go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dolores not now"
> 
> "We have a project to deliver, what do you mean, not now?
> 
> "You're annoying, can't you see I'm busy," he says indignantly
> 
> "You are an idiot. Thirty percent of the grade depends on that project.
> 
> "I know, I'm not an idiot."
> 
> "You are"
> 
> "I'm not"
> 
> There's a laugh in his ear, it's from Klaus. For a moment he had forgotten that he was speaking for Klaus.
> 
> "So that's the famous Dolores. Christ on a cracker, it sounds wonderful, I already love her" informs

* * *

She can't help but look at her new friend with a certain strangeness, Five is not like the rest of the guys she knows, he is quite strange, he doesn't' t like to be touched, he also does' t like to be tested on his intelligence and he spends most of his time studying or talking about his future wife.

She doesn't know whether to feel sorry for the girl or what.

At first, when Five talks about his fiancée, he's quite weak, a bit energetic, and macho. There are times when she's tempted to hit him with her history book, then he discovers that the fiancée in question is a man. His name is Klaus and Five is an asshole.

There are times when Dolores wants to take Five's phone and personally call Klaus and tell him to find a better man. Five is not bad, he is just very arrogant to think that everyone was willing to follow his orders and wishes without any fuss.

"Let me see if I understand," she says after a moment, in those three months that she has known Five she has never felt so much desire to hit him "You left your home, after a fight with your fiancé, because Klaus is childish for wanting something more than to be friends" she tries to review the order of events, she does not want Five to accuse her of altering things "You did it without telling him, just because you think Klaus deserves a punishment"

"I don't think so, I know so" if, no doubt, you want to hit him. There is an arrogant smile on Five's face.

"Well, so since you've been at boarding school you haven't talked to him?" he asks again.

"Yes," for some strange reason, Dolores can see the security that characterizes Five fading a bit.

"You're an idiot" states

"I am not" denies offended

"You said Klaus is suffering from panic attacks and you left without telling him" points out the obvious

Five seems static for half a second "I..." seems indecisive "He's fine, I'm his fiancé, if anything had happened I'd be the first to be informed"

"If Klaus were my son, I would break that engagement."

"My aunt loves me" denies "She knows I'm the best to take care of her child"

"Except that you left him without telling him anything. Yes, no doubt the best" the girl hastily gathers her things "Do you want some advice? Call Klaus"

Five has a hard time admitting two hours later that maybe Dolores is right. Before he knows it, he's calling his brunette.

He should be awake and at home.

Five hears the ringing tone, waits patiently, has had an hour off, and is alone in his room. A part of him acknowledges that he has been longing to hear Klaus' voice for three months.

A part of him acknowledges that he has been longing to hear Klaus' voice for three months.

It's three months without talking to Klaus. It is a long time.

He finds it strange that Klaus hasn't bothered him during his whole stay at the academy, he is a little worried.

The first week of his stay in Germany, Klaus called him more than twenty times, but then he stopped after he told his mother that his cell phone had rung during one of his classes and that it was Klaus. Surely his mother has spoken to Klaus.

His call is sent to voice mail. He cuts off and calls back. What could Klaus be doing that was more important than his call?

When his call is sent back to voice mail. He hangs up and calls the Carmichael mansion. His call is received by the butler who quickly relays it to his aunt.

"Aunt," says hello

"Dear Five" replies the woman "How beautiful it is to hear your voice after so many months"

Five grimaces sound like a rebuke "Sorry, Auntie, it's been a busy month"

"Don't apologize, honey, I understand that your future is the most important thing"

Not sure how to consider that phrase, is it a compliment or a threat?

"Aunt, is Klaus home?" He doesn't want to be rude, but he wants to talk to Klaus.

"Oh, Klaus, no," denies the woman. "He's not home.

"Where is he?" he asks, perhaps Klaus is with one of his brothers.

"He is out with a friend he met in his painting workshop," she slowly reports, enjoying the word friend

"Oh" Squeezes his cell phone tightly

"But don't worry, you of all people should understand Klaus, sometimes it is difficult to be in touch with family when you meet new people. I will tell him that you called and that when he has time he will call you. Have a nice week, honey" assures the cold woman before hanging up

He wants to scream in fury but remains silent. It is a Hargreeves is said, again and again, the Hargreeves do not feel jealousy. There is no need for such things, they are the best.

There is no one better than him for Klaus

* * *

She hangs with elegance, first of all, she will always be a Carmichael, she may be angry but she should always look polite. Some teachings are hard to put aside.

Five is her favorite nephew, the boy is cunning, intelligent, and confident, so she didn't hesitate to pressure her husband when her little Five asked her to give him Klaus as his future wife. It was a funny thing to remember, they were both just kids, but Five seemed to be ecstatic about Klaus. Klaus had barely arrived at their home, at which point he thought it was a good idea.

She bites her lips nervously, she has seen the bond that Klaus and Five have formed, they are both very cute, but Five looks too much like Reginald and Klaus is a person very much in need of love.

No doubt a bad combination.

He blames her sister for Klaus's weaknesses. Nikole was insane, she always was, and she passed her problems on to her children. Locking her up in the asylum was the best decision she ever made.

"Mom," her brunette son looks at her, "Have you seen my cell phone?" he asks, drying his hair with a towel

"I told you not to walk around the house with wet hair" Klaus has the audacity to wink at her, oh her silly son is so adorable "You left him down here" she passes him the cell phone.

Klaus checks his cell phone hoping "Oh you know..." he stops for a moment, Lilian watches her son squeeze the towel "Do you know if Five has called?"

"Oh honey, he hasn't called" she lies

"Oh well"

Lilian doesn't feel any guilt when she sees her son a bit down, she is sure that Klaus would soon get over his crush on Five. Her son needs to understand that people like them don't marry for love, but the benefits.

Five is a good candidate and companies would be safe in a union, but Five is not the only possible candidate.

Her son is a Carmichael and the Carmichaels deserve only the best.

* * *

"So Klaus has a new friend" Dolores seems to enjoy his worries immensely

"Yes"

"Are you jealous?"

"No. I'm a Hargreeves, Dolores, we don't feel jealousy, there's no need for those childish feelings.

"So why are you in a bad mood?"

"I'm not in a bad mood" he refuses.

"Well..."

Dolores mentally counts the seconds it takes Five to explode

"What kind of friends does Klaus usually have," she asks curiously

"Those who want to touch his ass every five minutes" he exclaims, half of the cafeteria turns to see them surprised

"Oh" is all the girl can say, she just wants to laugh out loud at Five's misery, but she's sure that would offend the heir very much

Five's cell phone rings with a notification, Five tries not to look desperate. It's a picture of Klaus with an unknown boy, both of them look very animated. The sender is his brother Diego. "They look cute together," writes his stupid brother.

Dolores is surprised to see the fury that Five crushes the cell phone against the table. As much for being a Hargreeves and having impeccable manners, she turns her eyes with annoyance.

"The check, please," the girl asks the waitress

"Come on, I have to pack" Five quickly gets up from the table

"You said you wouldn't go home for Christmas" She tries to put on her coat while walking, it's pretty cold

"I changed my mind"

Dolores smiles funny. Hopefully, her friend will soon realize that those supposedly childish feelings are not so foreign to him.

* * *

He drags his case behind him. It's been a long trip, heavy, especially since he didn't get business class tickets. He, such an important heir, had to travel in economy class, with a baby crying halfway through the trip.

He definitely hates children.

When he steps foot in New York, he's glad he came home. Even if it is only for less than two weeks, he is happy to be back.

All he wants is to see his family and Klaus.

He is excited to see his brunette.

"Five" Allison calls to him as she gently waves her hand. Luther is standing next to her, the blond looks stoic.

He looks for the rest of his family.

Where is Klaus?

His sister doesn't let him talk, she just hangs around his neck while she hugs him tightly, turns his tired eyes. He doesn't like to be touched, but he puts up with it because it is Allison. Luther barely looks at him before taking his suitcase.

"Let's go home, Mom has prepared a welcome dinner" informs the girl

Oh so that's why the rest of his family hadn't come, he smiles thinking of Klaus.

The car ride feels eternal and for a moment he wants Luther to let him drive, he is anxious, he wants to get home NOW.

It doesn't take long, the Hargreeves mansion is still just as grim despite the beautiful gardens that his mother takes such painstaking care of.

His mother is the first to embrace him. He immediately notices the absence of the rest of his family, neither his father nor the Carmichael's are present, only Luther.

"Mom, where are the others?

"Oh honey, your father and uncle had to travel because of problems at the company in Japan" reports Grace a little nervous

"Oh, and the aunt?"

"My mother decided to travel with my father, it was a last-minute decision," Luther reports. "It's a shame, if Klaus had known you were coming back, I'm sure he would have stayed.

"Yes, it's a shame," he murmurs thoughtfully

His aunt knew that he intended to return, in fact, she told him when he borrowed the family's private plane, the woman had only mentioned that his father and uncle would be the ones to occupy it and so he had to travel in a regular plane. At no time did the woman mention anything about her and her children doing so as well.

* * *

Dolores laughs and laughs, and in case the doubts come back. Five simply watches her in silence. He drinks some of his coffee, trying to stay calm.

Those two weeks were hell, Luther was staying at his house, but his cousin was either ignoring him or talking about how happy Klaus was in his classes, apparently, Klaus had met someone, a boy named Dave.

What kind of pathetic name is Dave? He can only imagine a very pathetic boy with a name like that.

"So your aunt took her kids on a trip, even when she knew you were coming back," the girl asked curiously.

"Yes."

"Oh, I think someone has lost his aunt's favoritism" Five was beginning to think the girl might have hyena descent because of the way she laughs

He crushed his head against the table because the girl was right.

* * *

Klaus looked sadly at his wet cell phone, all his pictures, messages, calls, and contacts were on that phone.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry your phone fell in the water" Lilian looked so sorry that Klaus did not hesitate to hug her from the waist. Minus the fact that her mother threw his phone away on purpose.

A.J shared a look with his wife, that that phone fell into the water was not an accident, he just didn't understand the real reason. Why would Lilian destroy Klaus' phone?

"Don't worry, we'll buy you another one when we're back home" assured the brunette.

"It's okay, Mom, I guess I can call Five another time."

"Yes honey, besides Five must be very busy. He must be with Dolores, Grace seemed very excited about Five's new girlfriend. Apparently, she's a child genius like Five, poor Grace all she hears about Five is Dolores this, Dolores that. Ah young love" reports the woman with a big smile

A.J raised his eyebrows before turning to see his wife totally surprised. What was Lilian planning? So many years fighting to formalize Klaus and Five's engagement, and now it was she herself who seemed ready to destroy it.

"Well, surely they are just friends" stuttered Vanya as he noticed Klaus' sadness

"Yes," said Klaus "Just friends"

* * *

The small package of bright colors hidden among his clothes surprises him. There is a small card and he recognizes Allison's handwriting

"Klaus asked me to give you this. It was supposed to be your farewell gift, but he could never give it to you," he read with a lump in his throat.

Carefully tearing the crumpled paper, he smiled at the sight of the blue scarf with the initials F&K embroidered on one end. Klaus knew how much he hated the cold and Germany was a pretty cold place.

"That's why he learned to knit, he is such an adorable idiot" he whispered thoughtfully as he placed the scarf around his neck.

He reached his cell phone and dialed Klaus' number, the operator's voice being his only answer. Again.

That night he slept with the scarf on. It was so cold that his eyes were a little wet.

* * *

It was still cold, so they had to stay locked up in the workshop, Dave carefully sipped his hot chocolate, next to him Klaus looked very thoughtful. Dave waits for his young friend to speak whatever is on his mind.

"Can a friend become more than a friend," the brunette asks finely.

"Sure," says Dave without a moment's hesitation

"How?"

Dave blinks, he doesn't quite understand the question, but Klaus seems distressed "Well, it depends, a friend can become a best friend, a best friend a brother, so it becomes family

"I'm talking about a romantic love" interrupts in a rude way

"Oh, well yes, of course, a friend can become a romantic interest. Especially if they share a lot of time and have things in common, it's normal for that to happen. Sometimes it just happens, sometimes it doesn't, or even that romantic feeling can occur in one of them. It depends on the people, Klaus".

"What if one of them feels love and the other doesn't?" Klaus moves restlessly "How can one person make the other love the same way?

Dave tries not to have his hands shake when he takes Klaus's little hands. Klaus can't force people to love someone else, love doesn't work that way," he says. He knows Five's story, and Klaus has been gathering information over the past four months.

There is a moment when Dave wants to go and yell at Klaus' parents, Five's parents, and the very children who have grown up used to having everything served up on a silver platter.

"Klaus, you are a beautiful child, a kind person, a bit dramatic and scandalous, but that makes you unique, but even so you can't force someone to love you, you shouldn't" sometimes Dave feels that he is talking to a little boy "Believe me it is not worth it if you have to beg for love"

"So what do I do?"

"Let him go, Klaus before he consumes you.

"But he's my best friend"

"And he can still be, but if he doesn't love you, then let him go. Don't make my same mistakes."

* * *

He's leaving class when his cell phone rings, he curses because he's late for his last class, and even though he doesn't recognize the number, he knows he's coming from his hometown.

"Hello" he answers in a hurry

"Five" Five stops when it hears Klaus' voice

"Klaus" Five practically purrs the name

"How are you?" asks the brunette calmly

"Good. Good" he answers quickly "Why the hell don't you ever answer your cell phone" he questions angrily, Klaus' laughter only serves to worsen his mood

"Oh, my cell phone broke at Christmas," he says, laughing. "It was an accident. One minute Mom was taking a picture of us, and the next the phone was floating in the sea.

Five's stoic expression mutates into a fury. Recently his aunt Lilian seemed very involved with Klaus' life and in keeping him away from Klaus. First the trip and now the cell phone.

"Five, let's go, we're late" Dolores interrupts him

Five grimaces want to tell the girl to shut up, walk away and let him talk to Klaus. He knows Klaus well enough to know that he will take Dolores' existence badly.

"Dolores not now"

"We have a project to deliver, what do you mean, not now?

"You're annoying, can't you see I'm busy," he says indignantly

"You are an idiot. Thirty percent of the grade depends on that project.

"I know, I'm not an idiot."

"You are"

"I'm not"

There's a laugh in his ear, it's from Klaus. For a moment he had forgotten that he was speaking for Klaus.

"So that's the famous Dolores. Christ on a cracker, it sounds wonderful, I already love her" informs

"Klaus" Dolores grimaces at the name

"Okay, Five, we'll talk some other time, I'm also on my way out" reports Klaus "Chop chop see you".

"Klaus doesn't cut me off" too late, his threat was not heard "I'm going to kill you," he says to the blonde

"Shit" mumbles the blonde


	3. Goodbye my love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "August?" The voice full of hope and longing makes his heartache. August was his father's name. "Honey, where have you been?
> 
> The nurse fidgets as her mother try to stand up, "Helen, remember you are very weak". With soft hands, the bigger woman sits Helen back in the chair.
> 
> "Jenny. It's my husband, August, he's back from his trip. He came to rescue me from my sister's bitch. The children are going to be so happy to see you. Lilian has taken them away. She accused me of abusing them, I tried to take them away, but the police took Klaus away from me, but as soon as they see you, they will surely agree to return the children to us"
> 
> Klaus can only listen, he can't even move.

* * *

* * *

He ends the call without even hearing Five's answer, he doesn't need to, he doesn't even really know why he has called Five, maybe it was Dave's words, maybe it was his childish desire, but the moment he hears Five's voice, he immediately regrets it.

It's been so long since he's heard that annoying, arrogant tone, that his hands are shaking as he listens to the discussion of Five and Dolores. God, he could nearly swear those two sounded like an old married couple arguing.

**It's just adorable.**

He smiles when he thinks about it. If Dolores had been someone else, Five would have simply walked away, ignoring her presence, just as he has always ignored most people outside of his inner circle. But they both sounded so confident, so friendly, that he laughs, thinking he was the one ignored.

It should cause him pain, but he cannot describe the feelings that pass through him as painful, not anymore.

Dave's words repeat themselves in his head: "Let him go, Klaus before it consumes you." One part of him wants to tell Dave that it's too late, he feels consumed to the core, and another part of him wants to follow Dave's advice but doesn't know-how.

_**How can he let go of a person who has been his rock most of his life?** _

The thought alone is painful and at the same time, it seems so hopeful.

He acknowledges that he has always held on to everything: his memories, his siblings, his parents, his birth mother, and Five. Letting them go sounds so scary, but he's really tired. Tired of being protected, tired of still clinging to his birth mother and the pain she has caused him, tired of just waiting.

His mother is never coming back and Five doesn't have to reciprocate his feelings.

_**To be able to admit that, is freeing.** _

It makes the pain in his chest, little by little, dissolve until it only feels like a slight prick, it is not deep, but it is constant, and he feels it with every inhalation and exhalation he gives, that in less than ten minutes he gets used to the sensation.

With his legs a little bit unsteady he goes to his closet, looks for his backpack, keeps some things inside, like clothes, his documents, and a little bit of cash he has for emergencies.

He slowly walks down the stairs, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. He can hear his mother's voice in the living room, and Vanya's violin. He slips down the long hallway and stops right in front of his father's office, knocking gently before entering.

His father is looking at some paperwork, but as soon as he sees him walk through the door, he puts his work aside, looking somewhat surprised.

"Klaus?" he asks somewhat surprised

"Dad, I need to ask you a favor and Mom mustn't find out"

"I'm listening." A.J. knows that his wife will want his head, but Klaus rarely goes to him for help.

The words spoken by his son surprise him, but he finds himself nodding. Lilian is going to kill him when she finds out.

* * *

He has been traveling for more than twelve hours, but finally, after several stops, he manages to reach his destination. The first thing he notices, besides the cold, is the elegant and modern building that occupies much of his vision.

It is a quiet peaceful place, with fountains and a beautiful garden, several people are sitting on the various benches, and there are even people running around. It looks more like a luxury hotel than a clinic.

The courage that he felt a few hours ago had vanished during the trip, but he has come so far that it is a real shame to turn back. He knows he doesn't have to go in, he doesn't have to if he's not ready, but he has delayed this conversation for many years.

Doesn't he deserve closure?

Yes, he does. He deserves to have his questions answered and he deserves to say goodbye to what was once his mother.

He tightens the straps on his backpack as if doing so is enough to avoid the temptation to turn around and run away.

He walks through the automatic doors and quickly heads for the receptionist. The woman looks at him expectantly.

"Good afternoon, how can we help you?" she asks politely

**_"I'm here to see Helen Carmichael. My mother" advises_ **

* * *

Vanya bites her lips hard, she can hear her parents arguing, even when the walls are thick. Try to remember, but the only time she's ever seen or heard her parents argue like this is when Ben arrived at the mansion.

Ben himself looks pretty upset, and Vanya isn't sure if it's because he sees their parents arguing or if it's because of Klaus' absence.

No one had noticed the absence of her twin until about an hour ago when her mother went up to Klaus' room to look for her brother. From that moment on, Lilian was hysterical.

If Vanya is honest, she had never seen the woman in that way, except when Helen wanted to take them away at the age of eight. That was the only time Lilian had left her mask of indifference and had shown herself to be quite human. It was also the last time she saw Helen.

That her twin had left the house, without saying goodbye, more than a simple note, hurt. And from the look on Ben and Luther's faces, she could tell it wasn't the only one who felt that way.

Luther continues to talk to Allison and suspects that Ben might be talking to Diego or Five.

She squeezes her hands tightly. Her father knows where Klaus is, she doesn't even realize when her body is moving by inertia, but from one moment to the next, she is inside her parents' room.

The discussion stops, Lilian turns away, but Vanya sees the make-up running and her body shaking. Her father looks furious, but not as furious as her mother.

"Where is he," she asks, never has he been a disrespectful person, much less confident, but her twin is missing and they have never been apart for so long

"Honey. Klaus is fine," assures her father, who tries to get her out of the room, but Vanya gets out of the hands.

"Where," she asks again, out of the corner of her eye she sees Ben and Luther standing at the door.

"He went to see Helen," says her mother.

The news leaves her so surprised that for a moment she stops breathing. Helen is their biological mother. The woman who for over two years abused them both psychologically and physically. Her brain has blocked most of her memories, the doctors said she had selective amnesia, but that is not entirely true, she still remembers the cold nights, with her bare feet clinging to Klaus, barely wearing loose pajamas, locked in the complete darkness of that moving and terrifying mausoleum.

"No" she whispers in pain.

* * *

Dolores simply watches silently as Five hits the punching bag harder than necessary. It is as if with each punch Five can extinguish some of his anger, but as the minutes go by Five seems relentless, punch after punch the anger seems to build and there is no sign that the young man will stop.

She simply watches him silently, sitting on one of the benches. Most people have left that area of the gym when they see Five's somewhat psychopathic stare, no one wants to be in the range of young Hargreeves' anger, the last time someone was stupid enough to interrupt Five, in his moment of anger, that someone ended up with a broken wrist.

It is not normal to see Five so uncontrolled, but the last two days, since Klaus' call, Five goes from a melancholy state to absolute fury in a matter of minutes.

A small part of her feels guilty. If she hadn't interrupted the call, Five wouldn't be so angry.

Five is proud, arrogant, and doesn't know how to express his feelings, she doesn't find it strange.

All heirs are cut from the same rules, power, money, and pride come before any feelings. They have no friends, they have working partners. There are no unions made by love, there are marriage contracts that produce heirs who will repeat the same actions.

It is exhausting.

Five's cell phone rings and Dolores is almost tempted to cut off the call, except that the caller ID shows the name of someone named Ben.

* * *

_Klaus can remember a happier time when his father was still alive and Helen was a loving, caring, and dedicated mother. At that time Klaus wore long dresses as a princess and his mother used to have fun dressing them up as if they were her dolls, with crowns, earrings, and shoes included. Both he and Vanya were happy, confident, and authentic children._

_It was funny to think that Five had mistaken him for a girl at that party, just because he had become infatuated with wearing that emerald green dress that Vanya had refused to wear._

_It was a happy time until his mother lost his father. That night he and his sister not only lost their father but also lost their mother. The loving woman who played with them, who gave magical and healing kisses, and bear hugs became a madwoman, a true monster._

_Vanya may have forgotten those two tortuous years, but he could never do it. In his mind there were still memories of those nights locked in the darkness of his father's grave, cold showers, nights and days of hunger, blows given for no apparent reason, but, above all, his mother's agonized cries._

_Now seeing the woman who was both his mother and his torturer, so weak and broken, was difficult to digest._

_The woman was not even looking at him, it seemed that she was seeing the emptiness above his head, with her eyes gone, her face emaciated and extremely thin._

_"Today she has a good day" the nurse informs him, with a relaxed voice, and Klaus turns to see her._

_" Excuse me?" he asks in surprise, not wanting to know how his mother sees him on a bad day_

_"I know it's difficult, but your mother is in the best hands" the hand that slightly squeezes her arm tries to be conciliatory. It is not._

_"Helen?" He calls her, the doctor has explained that under no circumstances he should call her mom because apparently, that is a catalyst word for his mother to have a hysterical attack._

_Her mother blinks quickly, before turning to look at him. They both look at each other for long, tense seconds, before a smile spreads across his mother's face. She looks happy, madly happy._

_"August?" The voice full of hope and longing makes his heartache. August was his father's name. "Honey, where have you been?_

_The nurse fidgets as her mother try to stand up, "Helen, remember you are very weak". With soft hands, the bigger woman sits Helen back in the chair._

_"Jenny. It's my husband, August, he's back from his trip. He came to rescue me from my sister's bitch. The children are going to be so happy to see you. Lilian has taken them away. She accused me of abusing them, I tried to take them away, but the police took Klaus away from me, but as soon as they see you, they will surely agree to return the children to us"_

_Klaus can only listen, he can't even move._

_"I know we fought last time, but I promise I won't get mad again. In fact, we can have another child if you want. I know you're upset because I lost the last child, but I promise to stop the drugs, I promise not to drink anymore, they've been taking good care of me here, I'm sober, I just drink what they give me. We can try again, you don't have to go with other women. I love you, you are my life"_

_Those words are like a kick in the chest. He can't keep listening, he turns around and runs out of the room. As he walks away he hears his mother's maddening screams._

_He doesn't stop running until getting to the outside of the clinic, the bodyguard that his father has assigned to him makes him get into the car. Once he arrives at the hotel, he locks himself in, doesn't answer his phone, simply picks up his things._

_  
He needs to talk to Five._

* * *

He just stops in his room to get a few things. There is not much he needs, just his documents and his wallet. If he hurries, he can catch the last train to the city of Dresden where Helen's clinic is located. Klaus has gone more than 10 hours without communicating, and according to Ben, Klaus visited the clinic last night before he disappeared. Not even the famous Dave knows anything about Klaus' location.

He is not sure if he feels anger, because of Klaus' childish decisions, or he is just afraid that something has happened to the brunette. He doesn't even understand what has led Klaus to visit his mother.

Klaus barely speaks about Helen, and when he does, it is only in a distant, hurt, defeated way. Unlike Vanya, Klaus remembers all the crazy things Helen has put him through, remembers every blow, every threat, and what life was like before he lost his father.

It has always been a painful subject for Klaus.

Dolores speaks hastily about the formalities they have to go through to get out of school. Five is not really interested, his only concern is Klaus. The brunette is alone, without protection, somewhere in Germany, and they are not even sure if he is in this country, it has been more than ten hours, he could be anywhere.

To hell with the damn school. He's not coming back anyway. As soon as he finds Klaus they will go home.

He leaves in a hurry with Dolores promising to send his things to the house. On an impulse, he returns the girl's hug, he is grateful to his friend, yes friend, Dolores is his best friend. He owes the blonde more than she will ever know.

When he goes outside the compound, he just walks a couple of feet and stops short. A guy is leaning over the bridge, watching the water run while he smokes a cigarette. He appears relaxed and a little lost.

Is Klaus.

"Klaus" he calls him, not quite sure if it is a vision or if he is really his fiancé.

"Hey Fivey" the strangely happy shuffling voice and the leg bouncing back and forth are indicative enough

"Are you drunk?"

Klaus shakes his head and laughs silly. "More like drugged," he laughs again.

He's going to kill him. Five swears he's going to kill him. After hugging him. He drops the bag and tries to touch Klaus, but Klaus puts his hands on his chest, stopping him.

From bewilderment, he goes into a rage in two seconds. It is like a burning flame that consumes his whole being. Maybe Dolores is right and needs anger management classes.

"Do you have any idea how worried everyone is? Even your father is worried, you ran away from the bodyguard, you left the hotel, and your parents are about to get a divorce, all because of your selfishness.

"I'm sorry, I was going to come home after seeing Helen," he explains, playing with the cigarette, "but I realized something and I had to see you.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I know"

"Let's take you to a hotel, we'll call your parents and come back home, we'll sort this out" takes Klaus' hand to guide him, they need a cab, he needs to call his uncles and Ben.

Ben and Vanya were almost hysterical.

He needs to communicate with the academy and leave, besides getting his things, if he is lucky his uncles will allow Klaus to stay two more days in Germany while he solves his things. They will have to talk to Klaus' psychologist again and see if he needs rehabilitation. He also has to get rid of this Dave, he is sure that everything is the fault of this new friend.

He makes a list while looking for a cab, but at one point Klaus begins to struggle with him, turns to see him upset. "Stay still, I'm looking for a cab" tries to wipe him out by his side

Klaus doesn't move, he has a cold and serious look. He reminds Lilian "Five, I'm tired" the voice is quite soft, almost like a whisper.

"I know, let's go to the hotel"

"No. Fivey, you don't understand" he refuses "I...want, no, I need to break off our engagement"

"You're too high."

Klaus denies while laughing "I never saw things so clear in my life" Klaus's laugh sounds so broken, false "I love you so much it hurts, and I don't want it to hurt. I don't want to be like her. I don't want to be like Helen. She loved August so much that losing him drove her crazy, losing him made my mother sick, because she was so dependent on my father, and I am the same way with you, with my family.

Five moves restlessly, it is not the first time that Klaus tells him that he loves him, but it is the first time that those words seem to cause pain to the brunette. A part of him tells him to force the brunette to shut up, but a voice similar to Dolores' tells him to allow Klaus to express himself.

"I don't want to end up like her, nor do I want to make you feel bad. Dave told me that love isn't supposed to hurt.

To hell with listening to the brunette, of course, this was the fault of that stranger "Dave? Are you going to listen to a stranger? You're leaving me for him"

"I'm leaving you for me and you" admits Klaus "I love you, but I'm not well when you left it was as if my world had ended, I was so sad, so out of it, did you know that Vanya lost her audition to the orchestra because I got drunk?" Five denies with his head "You knew that I ruined my paintings for the Paris scholarship, all because I felt bad because you didn't say goodbye"

Five denies with his head, this can't be happening, is this his fault?

"Take off that face, it's not your fault. It's mine" scolds the brunette, as if he had read his mind. Only Klaus and Dolores can do that.

"Let's go home, everything will be fine" uses his soft voice, as if he were talking to a defenseless little animal, Klaus looks at him angry, upset and even has the courage to roll his eyes

"I'm going home and you're going to stay and finish your year here, I want you to go out with Dolores"

"What?"

"Well, you don't have to go out with Dolores. In fact, go out with lots of girls and guys, meet other people, stay and finish high school, do what you have to do. I'm going back home, I want to go with Ben to Japan, I want to go to Paris. I want to live in New York for a while, alone, I want to go out with a guy I met in the studio, I want to have friends, I want...I want to learn to live alone, and only when I learn all that, and loving you is not painful to me, maybe we can be friends again".

No. He can't be losing Klaus like that, how the hell did it come to this? "I don't want to lose you" maybe this is the first time he's really sincere with his feelings, and the funny thing is that he's motivated by fear

"Honey, we're family, we'll see each other at the holidays, we can keep talking or send each other emails. But I definitely don't want you to give up on this, just because I can't stay healthy" Klaus laughs, this time it's a sincere laugh as he signals madness in his head. It's painful to watch.

"Dave helped you figure this out" can't help but feel angry and betrayed in a certain way.

"No. It was Lilian and Helen. Do you think I didn't realize that my mom purposely broke my cell phone, or that the surprise Christmas trip wasn't unplanned? Do you think I don't know that meeting Dave wasn't a coincidence? I'm not that stupid" Klaus drops the cigarette on the flowing water "Go back to the academy, Five. I have already called my parents, I have a reservation at a hotel, tomorrow morning I will take a flight to London, where my mother, Vanya, and Ben will be waiting for me"

A dark car stops next to them, it has the label of their parents' company.

"Klaus" Five wishes his voice sounded more intimidating, but it only comes out as a plea

Klaus kisses Five's cheek "I'll see you on vacation," he says before getting into the car.

The door slams shut, Five hasn't moved from his place, he can only watch as the car disappears into the distance. At no time does Klaus turn to see him, he just walks away. Five can't remember the last time he felt so bad. His heart beats painfully and it is the first time in a long time that he cries.

_"The Hargreeves do not cry"_

His father's voice is extinguished with every tear, screw the Hargreeves. He has just lost Klaus and is not sure how to fix this.


	4. This is what Klaus wanted, isn't it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He is surprised to feel Klaus's thin arms around him. Klaus is hugging him. All he can see is Klaus's brown hair.
> 
> "I missed you" he whispers, for the first time in months he is honest. He can't remember the last time he said something like that to Klaus.
> 
> "Me too, little grumpy" whispers the brunette smiling against Five's neck.
> 
> Five smiles against Klaus' forehead. "Little grumpy" is his nickname as well as "idiot". Because Klaus has always been taller than him, at least he was until a few months ago.
> 
> Part of him is going to take everything Klaus can give him. He clings to the brunette tightly.

* * *

* * *

He looks at the ceiling of the discotheque with something that borders on tiredness, next to him a girl has her head resting on his shoulder. It's a pretty girl with beautiful chocolate eyes and red hair, Sara, he thinks it's her name, he can't remember it.

He brings the glass of whiskey to his lips, taking a long sip, enjoying the numbness in his throat and his thoughts. There are times when he wishes he could stop thinking about Klaus' words.

"No. Fivey, you don't understand" he denies as he lets go "I...I want, no, I need us to break off our engagement."

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

How long has it been? Two months, his mind answers, two months, four days, and six hours, not that he's counting from the moment Klaus broke his heart, he's just keeping count because he doesn't want to forget. 

The girl kisses his neck, the tingling of her lips is somewhat annoying, but he allows it, after all, he simply follows Klaus' orders, this is what the brunette wanted, isn't it?

"Date other people" he wants to laugh at Klaus's dumb voice.

Dolores' eyes burn into his person, he's almost sure that, if the girl had laser beams in her eyes, she would have already killed the redhead and him long ago.

His head is turned and strawberry-flavored lips kiss him unabashedly. He doesn't respond to the kiss, but he doesn't pull away either. His tongue tastes the horrible gloss and the taste of alcohol, he can't help but grimace.

The girl bites his lip, then giggles, she's not a bad kisser, he's had worse kisses, but it feels like he's kissing his sister. He''s always been afraid of this, he''s not much of a lover of physical contact, he prefers to show his affection in other ways.

His eyes are lost in his drink, he has never been able to kiss Klaus, for fear that he would feel this way, so unnatural, so false.

What would Klaus' lips taste like? He wonders with genuine curiosity. His face feels suddenly hot, it must be the alcohol.

The redhead's friend says something in his ear, he lets himself be kissed by another girl. Lately, he doesn't care. He prefers to drink his whiskey. After all, those kisses are just a simple carnal contact. There is nothing, he feels nothing but disgust.

This is what Klaus wanted, isn't it?

Dolores fiddles with her phone, lately the girl is always talking to someone, has she got a girlfriend? Well, he laughs, maybe he should have told Klaus that Dolores liked girls.

* * *

He walks slowly through the cobblestone streets, admiring the classic beauty of the city of love. There are thousands of words to describe the city: Bohemian, mysterious, opulent, mythical, ethereal, seem to be the ones that stand out the most in his mind.

Whether by day, by night, or at any time of the year, the "capital of lights" has a charm that is hard to resist. Vanya clings to his arm as they both walk, enjoying the evening sun and the typical scent of the city.

It is impossible not to fall in love with the narrow cobblestone streets, or sit on any bench in Luxembourg Park to read or admire the flowers and dancing water fountains in spring; He shudders every time he feels the breeze of the Seine River on his face or contemplates the city at night from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

They have been together for six months and both are as much in love as the first day. There is no place in the world like Paris for them.

The magic of Paris doesn't fit into a single word. And with every day they spend there, they find a new adjective, a new charm to fall in love with.

It is the city he has always longed to know, the museums, its history, and its classic beauty have him trapped since Five showed him the city on television.

He smiles thinking about his... What is Five now? His ex-fiancé, his cousin, his friend? He can't even give it a title, he's never thought about it.

Five has always been Five, they've never needed titles.

His sister clutches his hand, bringing him back to reality. He has promised himself to stop thinking of Five as a necessity, there are times when he fails, but he has Vanya to bring him back to reality.

His first step, besides telling Five of his decision, was to tell his parents: A.J. seemed strangely happy when he asked to break the marriage contract that bound him to Five. His mother seemed somewhere between resigned and pensive. 

He's not going to inquire into his parents' feelings or thoughts, he can barely understand his own thoughts enough to understand anyone else's. The only thing he is happy about is knowing that Five and he are free.

He doesn't know what Five is going to do with his freedom, he made it a point not to think about them, and from the pictures, Diego has shown him, Five seems to have gotten over it, he is happy for him.

If anyone deserves to be happy, it's Five.

For his part, he is trying to find his way. His first step was to move with his sister to Paris. France is slowly giving him back his love for himself. Little by little he feels himself healing. Obviously keeping his mind busy between his studies at Beaux-Arts in Paris and his recent modeling job has helped him to slowly forget the pain.

The opportunity to move to France with his sister presented itself when Vanya won a scholarship to attend École Normale de Musique de Paris for a period of time. Their mother was happy for his sister, and it was Lilian herself who proposed that Klaus accompany his twin. Soon after he managed to get into Beaux-Arts de Paris by his own means, without the help of his parents, only with his talent.

It is a dream come true.

Even his parents agreed that traveling to France would be good for him. And it certainly was. Even at 15 years old, he has quite a lucrative job. What started as a favor for a designer friend of his mother's and, now, has transformed into a lifestyle.

He loves to dress up in fancy clothes, his favorites are dresses, he loves the attention he gets and the way he feels. He feels beautiful, and that's a feeling he hasn't felt in many years.

It seems that little by little his life is getting on track.

Crazily, as movie-like as his life has become, the best thing about having a broken heart is that nothing scares him anymore, he's no longer afraid of making mistakes, he's not afraid of falling and getting hurt. He is not even afraid to get close to other people.

His heart is broken and that only gives him the impulse to live in new situations.

He doesn't depend on anyone but himself, and that feels good.

Even knowing that he has not yet stopped loving Five, at least he no longer feels the need to continually hear from him.

He says it's only been a few months, and although his therapist and sister are very proud, he knows that the road he has chosen will be long and painful, but someday, he will be able to see Five and not feel miserable.

He has promised Dave, his siblings, Five, and himself.

* * *

He falls onto the bed, allowing his exhausted body to rest for a brief moment. He still has two projects due before the weekend.

He wears the scarf Klaus has knitted to his chest, clutches it tightly to his chest. He misses Klaus, too much. He wants to see him, wants to laugh at the brunette's jokes, argues over what movie they're going to watch so that they can both fall asleep afterward with Klaus safely in his arms.

The first two days, after Klaus broke off their engagement, he was in a catatonic state: he went to classes, did homework, and talked to his family and Dolores out of mere mechanical state. He was there but his mind kept going over and over the conversation with Klaus.

After those days, came the denial, Klaus couldn't break their engagement, it was practically a contract between their parents, the brunette couldn't just come and tell him that he no longer wanted to share their life in the future. They were both bound, they were the new alliance between their family business. He was so sure of it until his father called him furiously to tell him that the marriage contract had been broken. It was like a stab in the back, even though he had warned him.

That denial was followed by anger, he was so unbearable that even Dolores didn't want to be around him for long. They had argued on more than one occasion and had even had a shouting match in the economics hallway. Most of the student body thought they were a couple breaking up. That afternoon he ended up destroying his room, the only thing that had been saved from his wrath was the scarf that Klaus had knitted for him, he didn't have the courage to destroy it like the rest of his room, for which his parents had to pay a generous amount of money.

The third stage was Negotiation: Klaus had told him to go out with other people, so he did. In the blink of an eye, he had become the most desired guy on campus. It didn't matter if they were younger or older than him, any girl or boy was fine. The important thing was that every week they were different people with whom he had no emotional attachment. Sometimes he didn't even remember their names. He would admit that sometimes he was so drunk he wouldn't even remember anything if it weren't for the pictures that roamed the net.

Depression and acceptance came together hand in hand with Dolores. Who was not afraid to beat him both physically and mentally. The girl had dragged him from a party to the freezing cold shower in his room. Where the girl had screamed at him that if he loved Klaus so much he had to find a way to get him back and not push him even further away. Drunk he had admitted his feelings, it was absolutely pathetic.

"I can't stand to see you whine and suffer like a bitch" had been the blonde's kind words.

Hargreeves don't cry, he reminded himself. There is no need for tears, they are men of action, if something hinders them, they simply remove it and go on their way to their goals.

But this is the first time Five feels defeated. It's an overwhelming and somewhat frustrating feeling because there's nothing he can do but wait. Isn't that what Klaus said? That he wanted time to learn to live away from him.

It's hilarious and ironic to think that he was the one who told his fiancé that love was childish.

He buries his head in his pillow wondering why he had to be so cruel and stupid. Hadn't he promised to take care of Klaus forever?

His laughter comes out somewhat hoarse and heavy, it sounds more like a whimper of a hurt animal than a laugh.

He wants to go back in time and correct his mistakes.

He wants to go home to Klaus.

He wants to be with his family again, to enjoy the dinners his mother prepares with care and love, he wants to discuss with Diego and Allison, he wants to talk with Ben and Luther about the latest books they have read, he wants to listen to Vanya play her violin, but most of all he wants to go back to Klaus.

When he left that afternoon, leaving the brunette without saying goodbye, he never believed that his life would take such a radical turn. It was only supposed to be a few months, he just didn't expect that his pride would hurt Klaus so much.

"You're still in bed" Dolores doesn't even knock anymore before entering, he still doesn't know how the blonde managed to get a copy of her key "Come on, my mother came to do a photoshoot in Germany with her best models" the girl indicates.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asks with some annoyance.

"I want to see her, but I don't want to go alone" she explains as if Five were a silly child. "Come on, I want to see the models, they say there's a beautiful brunette" Five doesn't even notice her somewhat sycophantic smile.

* * *

Dolores has to bite her own tongue to keep from guffawing like a lowly villain. Five's gaze is like that of a serf caught in the middle of the night by the headlights of a car. It remains so static that for a moment she is not quite sure if Five is still breathing.

In a not at all delicate way, she hits her friend in the ribs. Nevertheless, Five doesn't take his eyes off his mother's model, and Dolores can't blame him, Klaus looks divine in that immaculate white dress.

Seeing the boy in person, she can understand why Five is obsessed with the brunette.

Klaus hasn't even noticed them, too busy posing for his mother's photographer. But Dolores smiles as she notices a small brunette slowly approaching them.

"Five" the one named, turns his head so fast that Dolores grimaces.

"Vanya" the girl smiles shyly.

"Dolores" she introduces herself, seeing that Five doesn't do more than shift his eyes from Vanya to Klaus

"Nice to meet you, Dolores, I'm Vanya, Five's cousin" Dolores wants to congratulate the brunette on her good performance.

They've been planning this for months and it's finally coming to pass.

These two would fix their love problems or they were going to do it for them.

* * *

The sun hits his face, it is quite a sunny but windy day, the cold sneaks under the skirt. And he can't help but shiver. Careful not to trip on the wet grass, he settles in to let the photographer take another picture.

He twirls, making the voluminous skirt play with his movements and the wind, creating a pose that looks innocent and playful. He allows the photographer to settle him on a park bench, this is supposed to be the last photograph.

"Very good Klaus. We're done" declares the photographer proudly.

The brunette smiles happily before throwing himself at the assistant holding his coat. It has been a long afternoon and he wants nothing more than to take a long and hot bath, he looks around for his sister.

It's a danger to be here, he tells himself. It is the city where Five lives, and visiting it brings back some sour memories, fortunately, they are far enough away from the academy.

With his eyes he looks for his sister, his heart stops when he sees who is standing next to her twin.

It has been so long and his heart beats faster, he knows his body moves on its own, he walks slowly, fearful of rejection.

* * *

He can't take his eyes off Klaus. He clenches his hands tightly as his gaze absorbs every little detail of the brunette. Klaus looks different, different from how he left him at 14, different from how he saw him 7 months ago, different, but just as beautiful.

His hands sweat inside his coat, wishing he could run his fingers through those longer curls. The white dress, even covered by the heavy coat, only highlights the androgynous beauty of his...his cousin, he reminds himself.

Klaus is no longer his fiancé, his friend, his everything. Now he is nothing more than a stranger, a relative not even bound by blood.

If his blood boils when he sees a stranger hugging Klaus, he swallows his biting words.

Because Klaus has changed and he has never seen Klaus so confident, so beautiful, and he was not a part of that. Is there even a place for him in the brunette's life?

Dolores' hand is perhaps the only thing that stops him.

He wants to leave, he doesn't need to see Klaus with other people, he doesn't need to see Klaus, it's painful to see him.

He always believed Klaus was the only secure person in his life, his partner, he was his protector and Klaus was the soft part of his life. He could be himself with Klaus, he didn't need to be the heir of Reginald Hargreeves. But his choices made the one sure thing vanish from his life.

It's painful to acknowledge that. So far he has devoted himself to justifying himself.

He is surprised to feel Klaus's thin arms around him. Klaus is hugging him. All he can see is Klaus's brown hair.

"I missed you" he whispers, for the first time in months he is honest. He can't remember the last time he said something like that to Klaus.

"Me too, little grumpy" whispers the brunette smiling against Five's neck.

Five smiles against Klaus' forehead. "Little grumpy" is his nickname as well as "idiot". Because Klaus has always been taller than him, at least he was until a few months ago.

Part of him is going to take everything Klaus can give him. He clings to the brunette tightly.


	5. Being friends sounds great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I want to apologize" Five admits looking at Klaus' face.
> 
> Klaus blinks several times before turning his head to look at him "What?" he asks somewhat surprised.
> 
> "I" Five pauses, he has no idea how to explain to Klaus his situation, he has never had to apologize to anyone, he is too proud for that. But Klaus needs to hear it "I'm sorry about what happened," he says quietly " The things shouldn't have happened that way, I shouldn't have left like that..."
> 
> Klaus smiles in an almost peaceful way, but Five is not an idiot, he can see Klaus' eyes become brighter as if he is about to cry
> 
> "I think" Klaus interrupts him, "I think you shouldn't apologize" Five sees how Klaus swallows saliva "Okay, maybe you leaving without saying goodbye was a bit painful, I'll admit that" Klaus laughs, trying to lighten the situation "But I think in the end it was a good thing".

* * *

* * *

**_"This is my...Friend Five."_ **

That's how Klaus had introduced him to that model, Luka. He promised himself to receive whatever Klaus was willing to give him, being little or much, he would take whatever he could. Alone, he did not expect Klaus to introduce him as his friend.

It's hard to define a word for their relationship, they have been best friends, playmates, each other's nightmare, but they have always been fiancés. They had both grown up with the idea that someday their lives would be intertwined.

He never questioned that, he liked the idea of Klaus being the person he would share the rest of his life with. He was never a sociable person or one who allowed himself to show affection openly.

It was difficult for him to do so. Even with his mother.

But with Klaus, things had always been simple, natural.

He loved him from the first time he saw him, and how could he not if Klaus was so beautiful that he mistook him for a girl. A very beautiful one that reminded him of Allison's dolls.

**_"Can I marry her?"_** he remembers asking Lilian as he pointed at Klaus.

He laughs thinking about that one. Klaus was the first person he had ever really wanted, liked, and loved. Even when he knew Klaus wasn't a girl, he had continued to love him, thinking it was wonderful that a boy could look so beautiful. Besides, little girls gave him terror.

When he saw Klaus again, he looked like a helpless little animal. Protecting him, caring for him, and keeping him company had only seemed right.

Klaus was, after all, his future wife.

Being with Klaus was natural. He never questioned his feelings for the brunette, only at some point he forgot that he should show it, should say it, nurture it as his mother used to tell him.

Why did he think that pleasing his father was more important than his feelings for Klaus? Why did he want to prove himself so much with Lilian and Reginald? If, after all, the one he had to prove that to was Klaus.

**_"I love you, but loving you is painful"_** he remembers Klaus's words and for a moment it all seems so clear.

**_"This is my...Friend Five"_** Klaus had said that with a calm, happy, peaceful smile as if those words didn't hurt, as if they were absolute truth, as if he had never been in love with him.

This was all his pride had done to Klaus's love. ** _"When loving you isn't painful for me, maybe we can be friends again."_**

He never saw himself as Klaus's friend, because the very idea was painful. But what else could he do? Klaus has obviously moved on, he has left behind that love he constantly used to profess to him.

It is the first time he faces rejection and it comes from the only person who has ever denied him anything, it is painful, and perhaps what hurts him the most is that he is the only one to blame. He is so used to always getting what he wants, but this is not something he can get with his money, with his parents' influences, or with his own intellect.

Worse, he might never get him back.

* * *

He smiles as he says goodbye to Vanya, once he closes the door to his room, takes off his shoes and coat, and walks towards the bathroom to turn on the water letting it slowly fill the bathtub, pouring in some smelling salts.

His body feels strangely numb and cold. All he wants to do is take a bath and get ready for Vanya's concert.

Steam slowly fills the small room and once he has removed most of his clothes, he allows himself to look in the mirror. The person looking back at him is a bit alien to what he remembers.

More than a year ago, he was at home, with his parents and siblings suffering because Five had left after an argument. Looking back on that moment, he can understand that he has exaggerated the situation a bit.

It sounds even ridiculous the fuss he made. Like a bratty child.

His world didn't end just because Five had left.

His world had been destroyed a long time ago and that was not Five's fault.

When he decided to set Five free because he understood that love shouldn't be painful, shouldn't chain people to each other: He felt better about himself, even though it hurt. 

Five had never told him that he loved him. Yes, Five cared for him and had always been there for him. Five was like his knight in shining armor, and he had naively thought his feelings were reciprocated.

He never stopped to think: What was he to Five? Beyond the engagement, what brought them together? Madly, it was his mother who gave him the answer.

What united them, what chained them: it was the obligation. The same one Lilian felt taking care of Vanya, Helen, and him.

He didn't want to be a burden or an obligation. He wants to be loved and he wants that feeling to be voluntary. He doesn't want to be loved just because it's an obligation.

Watching Five today, was like a test of his own maturity, his own sanity, and his own heart. It hadn't been an easy thing, his heart had beaten in such a painful way, still, he was able to smile, to hug Five.

**_"This is my...Friend Five."_ **

He had said with all the confidence in the world as Luka shook Five's hand.

Five didn't look surprised or uncomfortable with his words. The way Dolores had clung to Five at that moment made him a little uncomfortable, but he quickly pushed those feelings away, noticing how Five's body relaxed at the blonde's simple touch.

Letting Five free was the best thing he could do.

**_"This is my...Friend Five,"_** he told Luka confidently.

Because a friend was all he could be to Five.

Love shouldn't hurt, as Dave said, but sometimes it just does.

He sinks into the warm water, refusing to cry. There's no need for those tears.

It's going to be all right, he knows, someday everything will be better, someday he can breathe easy and know he did the right thing.

Because this is the right thing to do, for Five and him.

He's already taken important steps, he's studying what he loves, he's working as a model, something he never thought he'd have the confidence to do, and he's trying to be a good brother to Vanya.

Yes, everything is going to be fine.

He puts on his headphones as he lights his cigarette, letting the weed do its job of relaxing him.

* * *

"Still wallowing in your own misery?" Dolores enters his room, looking at him with some weariness.

"Leave me alone Dolores" he demands with no desire to listen to the blonde, he's really not in the mood to listen to Dolores' sermons, the blonde is starting to sound like Allison.

"Klaus and Vanya have gone to the hotel with my mother" she informs taking one of the bottles, lately Five has been drinking a lot, "Klaus said to call him when you feel better" she informs, "I told him you had diarrhea," she says with a rather mischievous smile, she reaches to dodge Five's arm with some entertainment

"You told him what?" Five feels his cheeks burn

"Well, you left after you got that call from your mother, something I had to invent for them. Klaus looked so disappointed when you didn't come back" the blonde shakes her head "So I thought I'd tell him you had diarrhea."

"I hate you" he admits dropping his head.

"Oh sweetie, don't worry the feeling is mutual" the girl informs as she goes through his closet, Five simply leaves her "Well, get ready because we're going out"

Five denies before putting the bottle to her mouth "I don't want to go out with your friends again" He refuses to go back to those noisy, dark, and smelly places

"Good thing we're going out with Vanya and Klaus" she declares.

Dolores smiles seeing Five's tense form "Vanya is having a concert, Klaus is going to be there" she informs and Five looks hesitant "Well, but if you don't want to go I'm sure Klaus will be just fine in Luka's company, he's such a nice person, did you see how he was looking at Klaus' ass?"

"I'll go take a shower" informs the boy, Dolores laughs hearing the shower, Five was so easy to annoy.

**Phase two of their plan was underway.**

* * *

Vanya loves her brother more than anything in this world. Klaus doesn't know it, but she remembers those times when Helen mistreated them, Klaus always stood in front of her to protect her.

Klaus is not perfect, he never has been, but he is actually a good brother.

Of the three of them, Klaus is the first to accept Ben into their little brotherhood. Luther may be the oldest and most protective of them, but Klaus is the one who gives out all the hugs, all the words of encouragement and is the most open in showing his emotions.

When Five left like that it was heartbreaking to see her brother fall into that spiral of emotions where no one seemed to be able to pull him out. Part of her had wanted to be able to hate Five, but Five is her friend, and it's hard to hate him.

For months she waited for Five to come back for Klaus, she wasn't blind, everyone could see how much Klaus and Five loved each other, everyone except them it seemed.

It was frustrating. Klaus and Five were frustrating because neither knew how to talk about their feelings.

She partly blamed their parents for that, both Reginald and Lilian. Oh she loved her mother, but Lilian could be cold as a glacier, she was a businesswoman more than a mother and she ran her life and her feelings as if they were a contract. Reginald was a perfectionist, a born genius, who thought with his brain and whose only act of love was to marry her Aunt Grace.

Five was just like them.

And Klaus, his brother was more afraid of rejection than he was willing to admit.

"Vanya, Klaus" Dolores' voice distracts her from her thoughts, she spins with a smile at the sight of the blonde accompanied by Five.

She wants to laugh at the way Five looks at her brother, Five's eyes light up as with his gaze roaming, unobtrusively, over the body of her brother, who has chosen to wear an elegant suit. The dress this afternoon could have been beautiful, but his brother has had a growth spurt and that dress did not flatter his brother's beautiful form. That dark suit, on the other hand, only served to show off Klaus' slim but toned figure.

She knew this because she chose that outfit for that purpose.

* * *

Shit.

Damn it.

It's not fair. Five shouldn't look that way wearing that simple suit, but somehow those clothes only serve to accentuate Five's slim waist and mark his broad shoulders. Five has grown, and not just in height. His musculature looks more prominent without losing that adorably masculine charm he has always possessed.

Feeling a little bad about wearing a suit, Five looks much better than he does. More masculine and confident, he looks handsome.

No. He says to himself. He can't think that, friends don't think that way.

"Five” smiles as he walks over to greet him.

**Be gentle. Be kind. Be friendly.**

* * *

Klaus had been a real vision in the park in that delicate dress, but now, he looks beautiful in that suit that accentuates his entire figure. Including his butt. Yes, he has seen Klaus' butt in detail, it's the first thing he has seen when he entered that theater.

"Five" greets Klaus, the way Klaus moves reminds him of a feline, it's smooth but elegant without even trying. "You came" acknowledges the brunette, Five can feel his own lips stretching into a soft smile "Are you feeling better about your stomach?"

Five's smile quickly falls as he hears Dolores' choked chuckle which she tries to disguise with a cough. Klaus continues to look at him expectantly. "I'm better. Thank you" he replies, he's going to kill the blonde.

Klaus takes his hand "I'm glad you came."

Five squeezes the hand gently, enjoying Klaus's warm skin "I'm glad to be here."

For a moment Five wishes he could pretend those months apart didn't exist, maybe if he closes the distance between them Klaus could receive his kiss, maybe he might be able to tell him everything he really feels, maybe Klaus will accept his apology if he notices how sincere he is.

But the ringing of Klaus' cell phone causes the brunette to get distracted and pull away.

"Luka," says Klaus in a soft but happy voice that kills his hopes.

* * *

He sends a smiley face in his message. Luka has been asking for the last half hour about Vanya's concert, it's a shame Luka had another date, it would have been nice to have his friend sitting next to him, especially since much of the night he felt Five's heavy gaze on him.

He thought Five's meeting would end after the concert, but Vanya and Dolores made plans to eat and drink at the hotel they are staying at.

The girls are quick to walk into a 24-hour supermarket, leaving the two of them to freeze outside holding Vanya's violin.

"Let's sit down," says Five pointing to a bench.

"Yeah, damn, it's cold," he says zipping up his coat, he can't help but notice that Five is wearing his scarf "Do you wear it?" he asks feeling a little surprised

Five touches the soft material "Yes, it was a nice gift, thank you."

"You're welcome" he nods his head, Klaus's cell phone rings once again and for an instant Five wants to take the blissful device from him and throw it away. Instead, he watches the way Klaus' face lights up with each message.

"Luka looks nice," he says trying not to sound like a jerk.

Klaus puts his phone away before turning in her direction "Yeah, he is."

"Are you two dating?" he asks

"Oh no. He's just a good friend. Luka is great, he's been one of the first friends I made in France" Klaus has a nostalgic smile "You and Dolores are already dating?" asks Klaus trying not to look enthusiastic

Five laughs, he can't help it, the idea of Dolores and him being together, it's absurd. "Dolores likes girls."

"What?" the way Klaus turns to look at him, makes Five only manage to laugh harder. "Don't laugh" he says somewhat annoyed.

"Don't make silly assumptions than" Klaus' cheeks color a beautiful pink Klaus had been jealous of Dolores?

"I'm sorry," Klaus says before laughing like a fool "I thought you were together" he shakes his head "I'm sorry to hear nothing is going on between you, I think she's fantastic" Klaus looks up at the starry sky.

For a brief moment he thought Klaus might be jealous. Only Klaus doesn't look that way, he looks resigned and worried, somewhat thoughtful, like when Klaus plots something he knows he won't like.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to get you the perfect girl for you" That definitely proves that Klaus's feelings are not the same.

Klaus is no longer in love with him.

No. No. Please, he just needs a chance. Just one.

"I want to apologize" Five admits looking at Klaus' face.

Klaus blinks several times before turning his head to look at him "What?" he asks somewhat surprised.

"I" Five pauses, he has no idea how to explain to Klaus his situation, he has never had to apologize to anyone, he is too proud for that. But Klaus needs to hear it "I'm sorry about what happened," he says quietly " The things shouldn't have happened that way, I shouldn't have left like that..."

Klaus smiles in an almost peaceful way, but Five is not an idiot, he can see Klaus' eyes become brighter as if he is about to cry

"I think" Klaus interrupts him, "I think you shouldn't apologize" Five sees how Klaus swallows saliva "Okay, maybe you leaving without saying goodbye was a bit painful, I'll admit that" Klaus laughs, trying to lighten the situation "But I think in the end it was a good thing".

What, how something good? "Something good?" he asks, feeling more and more defeated, he's afraid of what's going to come out of Klaus' mouth next.

Klaus continues "Yes, it was a good thing for both Five. I think it's something that was meant to happen to us" Five doesn't believe in fate, fate is something everyone makes and he has molded his life to this "But since you seem to care so much Five, I forgive you" Klaus plays with his coat, a habit he has had since childhood "But if you manage to apologize, I think I should apologize as well"

"Klaus..."

"I'm sorry Five," Klaus says looking at him "I'm sorry I forced you to love me. I always told you I loved you and I wanted you to tell me the same, I just never stopped to think that you didn't feel that way."

No. Please, Klaus. Begs Five feeling his body go numb.

"I'm glad it's all over because now we're both free" Klaus looks so confident saying that "Now we can both be friends, of course, if you really want to" Klaus looks so hopeful and expectant.

No, Five doesn't want to be just Klaus' friend. But he doesn't want to make the brunette suffer anymore either.

**_"I love you, but loving you is painful."_ **

Five caused Klaus' love for him to be painful, by what right is he going to break Klaus' hopes?

"Being friends sounds great" he admits, feeling defeated, the words of love get stuck in his mind and he decides to keep them, he has done it so far, he can do it for the rest of his life, if it means Klaus gets to be happy.


End file.
